The Fake Young Master Got the Disabled Tycoon Pregnant. - Chapter 4

After sending the message, he let his phone screen go dark.

Isn’t it a bit much to add someone just to send a thank-you message? he wondered. Maybe I should just unsend it.

The phone buzzed in his palm.

lzh: [Class is about to start. Put your phone away.]

Jiang Ning: “…”

He’d almost forgotten. Lu Zhihan was a dedicated student and worker, a master of shutting down any sentimentality. Even if Jiang Ning were to suddenly confess, “I like you,” Lu Zhihan would probably just reply with a stern, “Focus on your studies. No dating in school.”

Jiang Ning couldn’t help but chuckle.

The bell for morning reading rang.

The teacher walked in carrying a textbook, pulled a chair to the side of the podium, and instructed the class representative to lead the reading.

Linjiang No. 1 Middle School had a very flexible approach to classroom management. Except for the occasional surprise inspection by school leadership, the teachers mostly turned a blind eye to the “hopeless cases” in the back rows.

Jiang Ning’s seat was in the very last row by the window. The desk to his right was empty, which he’d claimed as a storage spot for his miscellaneous things.

With a seat that offered such perfect cover, it would be a waste of prime real estate not to use his phone.

Jiang Ning glanced around.

Everyone around him was on their phones, but each had their own method.

Some were bold enough to leave them out on their desks, while others hid them inside books or stashed them under the table.

In times like this, Jiang Ning would usually play a single-player game, plug in his earphones to listen to music, or just put his head down on the desk and catch up on sleep.

Out of habit, he reached for his phone and saw the unread message on the screen.

lzh: [Class is about to start. Put your phone away.]

Lu Zhihan is so annoying, Jiang Ning thought.

But, considering Lu Zhihan had saved him from writing a 3,000-word self-criticism, Jiang Ning reluctantly shut his phone and slid it into his desk compartment.

He picked up his textbook.

He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d actually opened it.

The book felt like a hot potato in his hands.

He piled up other books to form a small fortress in front of him, hiding what he was doing from everyone else.

The class representative stood at the front, leading the reading.

Jiang Ning clumsily flipped to the page the representative announced.

“Nian Nu Jiao: Remembering the Past at Red Cliff, page 321,” the class representative said.

Jiang Ning opened his mouth, but after just a few syllables, he completely choked up, his voice drowned out by the lifeless drone of the class.

This is so embarrassing.

It doesn’t fit my image at all!

He kept his mouth shut, his eyes following the droning voice as it read through sentences he couldn’t even begin to understand. After a few minutes, his gaze started darting wildly up and down the page.

He couldn’t focus at all.

A few minutes later, Jiang Ning gave up on struggling. He tossed the book aside, rested his head on his arms, and buried his face to sleep.

He wasn’t actually sleeping deeply.

Perhaps because he’d slept too much the day before, he could still faintly hear the reading voice in his ear.

After drifting in and out of consciousness through the morning classes, Jiang Ning finally straightened his back from the desk, feeling lazy and sluggish.

The classroom was already empty.

Jiang Ning watched the dense crowd of students rushing toward the cafeteria outside the window, but he didn’t feel particularly eager to eat.

The cafeteria’s menu always cycled through the same few dishes. Tomato and egg, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and stir-fried tomatoes could be counted as three separate dishes.

He’d eaten enough breakfast to be full, so he simply decided to skip lunch.

So, Jiang Ning took out his phone.

He was just about to start a game of Subway Surfers to pass the time when a message popped up.

lzh: [School’s out?]

Jiang Ning: Just let out.

lzh: [Image]

Jiang Ning stared at the picture he’d sent out of the blue.

It was a bento box, filled with exquisitely prepared dishes—a stark contrast to the cafeteria’s mass-produced meals.

Even if he knew I couldn’t eat it, did he have to send a picture just to make me crave it?

lzh: [I prepared this for you. Go pick it up at the school gate.]

Jiang Ning was skeptical, but he knew Lu Zhihan wasn’t the type of person to play such a pointless prank. He left the classroom and headed toward the school gate.

Linjiang No. 1 Middle School had a few day students, and small groups of them were chatting and laughing as they left for lunch.

From a distance, Jiang Ning spotted the white RV.

The person delivering the meal wasn’t Lu Zhihan himself, but one of the assistants who always followed him.

“Young Master Jiang,” the assistant said, handing him the bento box, “Mr. Lu said you need to eat well to grow.”

Jiang Ning raised an eyebrow. “Does he think I’m too short?”

His last physical exam showed he was 183 cm without shoes, and he’d probably grown even taller since then.

The assistant replied, “Mr. Lu didn’t mean that. He’s just concerned about you.”

“Got it.”

As Jiang Ning turned to walk back with the bento box, two unfamiliar girls suddenly blocked his path. One was nudging the other. “Go on, tell him! Haven’t you been worried about him all day?”

The girl who had been pushed fidgeted, her face flushing as she murmured, “Jiang Ning, I heard from your classmates that you missed class yesterday because Zhang Shijie was causing trouble for you. Are you okay?”

Though he had no idea who these two girls were, Jiang Ning replied with polite distance, “I’m fine. I was the one causing trouble for him.”

As he spoke, he tried to step around them.

But the girl suddenly grabbed the hem of his school jacket. Her head was bowed, her face so red it looked like it might drip blood. “He only acts like that because he likes me… But don’t worry, I’ll make sure he stops doing things like that from now on…”

Jiang Ning discreetly freed his sleeve, his voice laced with its usual impatience. “What are you trying to say?”

The girl bit her lip, looking as if his harsh tone had pushed her to the brink of tears.

Jiang Ning felt a wave of dread wash over him. This was the one situation he was least equipped to handle.

“Please don’t cry,” he said, fumbling in his pocket. Finding no tissues, he begrudgingly pulled out the handkerchief he’d used to wrap his lunchbox. “Here, use this to wipe your face.”

The girl seemed stunned by the gesture, hesitating to take it.

“If you don’t want it, I’m taking it back,” Jiang Ning said.

“I want it!”

The girl quickly took it, clutching it in her hand as if gathering all her courage. “Jiang Ning, what I actually wanted to say is… I, I like you.”

“Huh?”

This time, it was Jiang Ning’s turn to be stunned.

Back at his old school, he had been powerful and influential, constantly flattered and confessed to. Such attention had been a daily occurrence.

But ever since he’d been exiled to Linjiang No. 1 Middle School, his notorious reputation had spread like wildfire. No one dared get too close to him, let alone a girl confessing her feelings.

The girl continued, “Do you remember? About half a year ago, in front of that milk tea shop on the snack street… I was being harassed by some thugs, and you chased them all away. Do you, do you remember?”

Jiang Ning recalled something like that happening.

He had just arrived at Linjiang No. 1 Middle School back then. The sight of the dilapidated school and the run-down streets had made him feel like he’d been tossed into this place like a piece of trash.

The frustration within him had been building up like pressure in a hydraulic cylinder, desperately needing an outlet.

Those thugs had just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Without a second thought, Jiang Ning had brutally taught them a lesson.

His gaze fell on the girl’s face again, and he finally recognized her. “Oh, it was you.”

The girl nodded vigorously.

“I think you might have misunderstood. I didn’t do it to save you that day,” Jiang Ning said truthfully. “I was just in a bad mood and needed to vent. I would have helped anyone else who was being bullied.”

The girl froze, watching Jiang Ning walk away coldly. She hadn’t expected the “hero saving the damsel in distress” scenario to be nothing more than her own imagination.

She burst into tears.

Her friend patted the top of her head and comforted her, “Oh, don’t be sad. Jiang Ning has a terrible temper and is such a clueless straight man. Besides his good looks, he’s completely useless.”

“Don’t say that about him,” the girl who had just been rejected sobbed, wiping her tears with the handkerchief Jiang Ning had given her. It still smelled like food. “It smells so good. I’m starving.”

“Pfft, alright, stop crying. I’ll treat you to that sweet and sour fish place outside school.”

“Sob… you’re so good to me.”

The two girls left together.

Not far away, several figures crouched in the bushes, smoking. Amidst the swirling smoke, Zhang Shijie’s face was twisted with rage.

“Brother Jie, everyone knows you like our class beauty. That bastard Jiang Ning just transferred to Linjiang and already stole your girl. He even humiliated you in front of the whole class and got you punished with that self-criticism essay.”

Zhang Shijie took a deep drag of his cigarette, the hand holding it trembling slightly.

He’d spent the entire morning writing a self-criticism essay that ran to a full three thousand words.

“Brother Jie, how about we beat him up for you?”

“Forget it. You lot are all weaklings.”

Zhang Shijie hated Jiang Ning, but he had to admit the guy was a brutal fighter. His face still stung from the last time he’d been pummeled.

“What if we hire some outsiders?” another boy suggested. “I know a few guys. Just give them some money, and they’ll definitely flatten Jiang Ning for us.”

“Give me their contact info…”

Jiang Ning didn’t go back to the classroom with his lunchbox. Instead, he headed straight up to the rooftop, a place few ever visited. He pushed open the rusted iron door.

The rooftop was cluttered with discarded desks and chairs. Jiang Ning picked one that looked relatively clean, then swung his long legs up and sat on the table.

He loved coming here alone.

The height offered a sweeping view of the distant horizon. On clear days, he could even make out the faint outlines of skyscrapers shrouded in mist, the Linjiang New Area, where he had once lived.

This time, however, Jiang Ning spared only a fleeting glance before burying his face in his meal.

The lunchbox’s insulation was truly impressive. And as for the food… he wasn’t sure if eating like this would help him grow taller, but he was pretty certain it would make him gain weight.

He lifted his shirt for a quick check. Good, he thought, my abs are still intact.

After the midday break, the long afternoon classes began.

Different subjects, same boredom.

Jiang Ning tried to pay attention but quickly gave up. He slumped onto the desk to sleep, but before he could even drift off, a sharp rap landed on the back of his head.

“Still sleeping, are we?” Xu Guosheng, the math teacher, remarked. “Spring drowsiness, summer lethargy, autumn fatigue, winter hibernation… You’ve got it made, living a life like a four-season dream.”

“Old Xu, you might as well just go teach Chinese,” Jiang Ning retorted, rubbing his head as he straightened up. He wasn’t being confrontational like he was with other teachers, but his posture was completely relaxed.

“I’d still get driven to death by you brats if I taught Chinese,” Xu Guosheng said, dropping the math test onto Jiang Ning’s desk. “Look at this paper. What’s the difference between this and a blank sheet?”

“I filled in all the multiple-choice questions I could. I didn’t know the rest.”

“Then learn it! Who’s born knowing everything?” Xu Guosheng sighed. “It’s obvious you’re smart, you just refuse to take it seriously. If your foundation is weak, you can come to my office after class for extra help, or ask your classmates. Those are both great ways to learn.”

Here we go again.

Jiang Ning’s head throbbed from the lecture.

Xu Guosheng walked to the front of the class and addressed the entire room. “I’m handing back the tests today. Everyone needs to correct their mistakes and get a parent’s signature to confirm. Got it?”

“Got it” the class droned in unison.

A parent’s signature.

Jiang Ning stared at his test, at the lonely ‘9’ scrawled on it. A sudden thought struck him, and he hastily shoved the paper to the very bottom of his desk drawer.

There was absolutely no way he was asking Lu Zhihan to sign that for him.

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